It has taken just 14 years for the number of Australians to climb five million as migrants, breakthroughs in medicine and a small baby boom all swelled the population.
Australia’s population has doubled since 1970 with much of that growth occurring in the suburbs of Perth which now boasts more than two million residents.
While Australians talk about over-crowding, the country is still just 53rd in terms of total population across the globe. By mass it is the world’s seventh biggest.
The squeeze continues on the nation’s coast lines, particularly around our capital cities.
Melbourne is on track to reclaim its claim to be the nation’s most populous city while Sydney strains under the pressure of its infrastructure demands.
More than 60 per cent of all Australians live in a capital city. Add in nearby centres such as Geelong, Wollongong and the Gold Coast and the share of Australians living in our major centres is more than 70 per cent.
This article originally appeared on The West Australian.